


Prometheus

by foxflower



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-06 06:29:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14050980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxflower/pseuds/foxflower
Summary: Futaba wasn't sure why Prometheus represented her at first. But the more she thought about it, the more obvious it seemed.





	1. Chapter 1

Prometheus had stolen fire from the gods. 

It was fire, but symbolically, it was more. Forbidden knowledge. Knowledge of things humans were not meant to know or have. And because of that, he was chained to a rock, and a bird pecked his liver out every day, and it grew back every night.

The ancient Greeks believed the liver was the seat of human emotion, or so Futaba had read. That fit. She felt like her heart was being pecked out every day, too. And the cause? Feelings. She was bad with those. They were illogical, difficult to understand, and there was no way to quantify them and be certain if she'd arrived at the right answer.

Futaba had wondered, from time to time, why Prometheus was her Persona. How did it represent her? Necronomicon, forbidden knowledge, was obvious. Prometheus, though… Well, it was also obvious, now. She’d realized something- She’d realized something about herself. Something forbidden. She’d found she had a crush on someone… A girl. Forbidden. And the rest? Well, that was obvious. If the liver was the seat of emotions… The heart in modern metaphors, hers was going crazy whenever she looked at the one she liked. It was turning into a problem.

And the source of this problem was staring her in the eyes right now. With burning red eyes behind an iron mask that did nothing to hide her emotions, spikes and leather and a figure that looked way too good and the open concern on her face. The kindness, and toughness, everything that made her amazing... As she cradled Futaba in her arms, on the dark ground of Mementos.

"Oracle!" Makoto's concern was clear in her voice. "Oracle, are you all right?"

"I... Ugh..." Futaba- No, she was Oracle right now. That's right... They'd been in Mementos. They'd been chasing someone's Shadow. And Makoto... Queen... There had been an attack, a Psiodyne, and Futaba... Final Guard wouldn't activate in time, so she.... 

"You're alive!" Makoto hugged her tightly, eyes screwed shut in relief. "I was so worried- That was so reckless!" 

"I'm not sure now is a good time for this, Queen." Akira- Joker, looked around. "Oracle's never taken a hit like that before... Let her recover, first."

Her head started to clear. She had panicked. She had done the only thing she could think of... She had deactivated Prometheus, and thrown herself into Makoto, knocking her out of the way of the attack... And taking it herself.

“I- I’m okayyyy…” She tried to say, but her voice made it obvious that it wasn’t true. Her voice was weak, and exhausted. Of course it was- Like Joker had said, she had never taken any hit from a Shadow before.

“She can’t go on like this…” Queen frowned. “But we can’t let that Shadow get away, either. Mishima-kun already posted the calling card…”

“Mona, are you okay to navigate us again?” Joker looked down at their smallest member, who puffed himself up with pride. 

“Of course!” He patted his chest. “Just leave it to me!”

“Okay.” Joker let out a long, slow breath through his nose. Futaba watched him- She knew that habit. He was weighing options, planning what to do next, deciding on their Thief obligations versus his caring for his friends… Futaba was about to speak up with an idea, until Joker beat her to it.

“Queen, take Oracle back out to the lobby.” His eyes were hard below the mask. “We’ll take down the Shadow and meet back up there. No more exploring today.”

“I understand.” Queen answered. And Futaba… Though she wanted to protest, she couldn’t. She had already caused trouble.

~*~

The walk back up was almost crushing with its silence. Even Prometheus’ usual whispers in her ear were silenced. Futaba was too exhausted to summon to navigate them out, but fortunately, Makoto had power to spare. She had healed Futaba, of course, but that didn’t help the exhaustion. 

They didn’t say a word all the way back up to the top. They fortunately hadn’t encountered any Shadows on their way back up to the rest area, and then the shortcut brought them back up to the top immediately. And once there…, the first time Makoto started to speak, it was simple. “Here, lie down on these chairs…”

“I- I’m okay, really!” Futaba tried to sound strong, but she did end up sitting down, at least, lifting up her mask to sit on her forehead. “I’m…”

Makoto, surprisingly, sat down next to her, and took her hand. Despite both of them wearing gloves, Futaba felt like she could feel the warmth of Makoto’s hand.

“Are you okay?” Makoto lifted her own mask with her free hand. Futaba wanted to shrug it off, pretend she was fine, but somehow, the fear on Makoto’s face made it harder… She couldn’t just brush it off. She couldn’t say anything at all- She was practically paralyzed by that expression.

“I... “ Futaba hung her head. “I’m not hurt anymore, thanks to you…”

“Why did you do it?”

“I didn’t mean to…” Wait, that sounded bad. “I- I saw you in danger, and- I just moved without thinking…” 

“Fu- Oracle…” Makoto’s grip on her hand was soft. “I appreciate it, really. But you’re our navigator. We need you to stay safe, no matter what, okay? We’d be totally lost without you.”

“But…” Futaba couldn’t help but protest. “I- I want to help- I want to protect you!”

“I want to protect you, too.” Makoto pulled her closer. “When I watched that attack hit you, I was scared you… I thought…” Her voice cracked, and trailed off, and for the first time, Futaba was scared of what had happened herself. Not out of fear for herself, but out of fear for seeing the always-strong Queen so… vulnerable.

“I... “ Futaba’s voice wavered. “I’m sorry.”

“No, that’s…” Makoto furrowed her eyebrows, conflicted. And suddenly… Futaba found herself being pulled into a tight hug, buried into Makoto’s shoulder. And despite the spikes less than an inch to the side of her head, despite the hard leather… Somehow, it felt comfortable.

Prometheus had stolen fire from the gods, and was punished by birds pecking out his heart. (His liver, but metaphorically, equivalent to his heart.) And Futaba understood. She had gained knowledge, advancement, an understanding of herself and cognitive psience… And the girl who had shielded her in her own Palace, who had protected her, who held her so gently... 

She had fallen in love. With a girl. 

She, the former world-famous cybercriminal Medjed, who stole forbidden knowledge and gave it to the world to bring justice, had fallen in love with the most morally-upright woman she knew, dreaming of being a police commissioner.

Her heart felt like it was being pecked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Prometheus, in punishment for his crimes, for his theft of fire from the gods, was found and punished by Zeus. He was chained to a rock, and a bird pecked out his liver every day, and every night it grew back.

He was trapped that way for a long time. The myths never specified exactly how long, but it was at least many hundreds of years. Chained to a rock in the ocean… Until one day, a hero came by. Heracles, a demigod, a member of the Argonauts. A hero, who was punished by the gods. He broke Prometheus’ chains, and set him free.

It was thought that Heracles sympathized with Prometheus. After all, Heracles had been punished by the gods for the gods’ own doing. That sympathy released Prometheus from his chains, the bonds that held him captive, and from the chains that released him.

~*~

Akira was the smartest person Futaba knew that wasn’t herself. And he was charismatic, good with people, social, charming… Wait, weren’t all those the same thing? Ugh, but it was better than thinking about the current situation.

Namely, Akira, in her room, sitting on her bed, while she curled up in her computer chair, hugging a pillow.

“Sojiro let you in?” She asked doubtfully.

“He knows I’m with you.” Akira smiled, tugging at his bangs a bit, the way he did whenever he was being sneaky. “He may have been under the impression that we were going to Akihabara, but…”

Futaba let out a long sigh into her pillow. “Okay… So, what is it you needed? Do I need to hack someone again? Look into Prosecutor Niijima’s underwear after all?”

“Well, it is about a Niijima.” Akira managed to make that sound diplomatic. “But not Sae. And not about Makoto’s underwear.” He hastily added, seeing Futaba open her mouth.

“Oh.” She squinted at him. “Okay?”

He pulled Futaba’s chair closer, so he could reach up and pat her head.

“You’re completely smitten, aren’t you?”

The blood drained from Futaba’s face. How had he- Wait, if he knew, then did Makoto? And… Wait, did everyone know? Were they going to call her weird and make fun of her? Panic welled up inside her, until Akira caught a look at her expression.

“Hey, it’s fine.” He ruffled her hair a bit for emphasis. “It’s fine. You’re fine. And it’s not as hopeless as you think.”

Wait. Okay, now the blood returned to her face, but as she furrowed her eyebrows to try to figure out what Akira was saying. He… Can’t have meant that. Was it a code of some kind? Akira of all people wouldn’t make fun of her… Right?

“You listening?” He pulled his hand back, leaning back. “Earth to Futaba, hello, come in, Futaba... “

“What do you mean?” Her voice sounded suspicious.

“It’s a figure of speech for when someone’s spacing out-”

“Not that!”

He laughed again. “I mean it’s okay. You’re confused, right? And you’re worrying about liking a girl?”

“How did you…” Futaba covered her mouth as soon as the words left her. She hadn’t meant to say it- That was as good as admitting it.

“Because we’re all the same.” He reached up again, poking her in the forehead. “I’ve had a thing for Ryuji for months. Ann says she can get away with it because she looks American. And Haru…” His eyes clouded over. “Well, her father had a lot of problems.”

Futaba didn’t press it.

“And… Makoto?”

“Gets flustered whenever you talk about how ‘kinky’ her costume is.” Akira’s voice was absolutely deadpan. “And not the normal, run-of-the-mill embarrassed flustered.”

“Oh.” Futaba almost began to blush, but fortunately, got distracted. “Wait, how do you know all this?”

Akira gave his best grin, or rather, his shadiest. The grin of Joker, the smug smirk of someone who knew far, far more than he was telling. “Just call me Heracles.”

Futaba could tell she wasn’t going to get a better answer, so she just rolled her eyes. Dramatic nerd. 

“Okay, but… Even if she likes girls, do I have a chance?” Doubt crept back into her voice. “I mean, I’m just a shut-in nerd…”

“Who has done some of the bravest, most reckless things in the world.” Akira poked her forehead again. “But, I can’t give you all the answers. You have to decide on your answer to this yourself.”

“But… I don’t know the answer!” Futaba protested, lightly headbutting against his finger. “And… I’m scared of messing up…”

“You’ve been scared before, haven’t you?” Akira pushed Futaba’s chair back, standing up again. “Besides, what’s scarier? This, or jumping in front of a Psiodyne?”

“This, by a mile!”

Akira laughed as he headed for the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Prometheus had stolen fire from the gods. He was punished by being chained to a rock. His liver- His emotions- were pecked out every day. Heracles, on the Argo, freed him. And then...

And then, what?

No one knows. Were there ever any myths or legends after that point? He was punished, he was freed, and then... Nothing. He walked off the stage of history and mythology. Did that mean his role was over? He was free? Had he been able to accomplish what he wanted?

Was he finally free from the torment of his heart?

~*~

Futaba was not going insane. Insane was different. Insane was the voices of her mother, of her uncle, of her relatives calling her a monster. This was different. This was heartache.

Akira had tried to help her. But… Futaba didn’t have the confidence to make a move. And to be honest, it was starting to be a real problem. It had begun to distract her a lot. At least she could pass it off in their daily life as her just being a weirdo, but in the Metaverse, any moment she was distracted was a moment where…

( _The Shadow rears up, and a Psiodyne begins to erupt around Makoto…_ )

Was a moment where disaster could strike. 

In conversations, she froze up. In the Metaverse, she was too busy navigating, but every once in a while, she’d still get distracted by Queen’s figure in that outfit. At least she didn’t have to worry about saying that part out loud. But it was becoming increasingly obvious there was a problem. 

So, Futaba decided to do the only thing that felt reasonable: Avoidance. After all, avoidance was how she dealt with all her problems. She could barely look at Makoto, barely talk to her- She practically hid behind Akira sometimes. She felt terrible, but she told herself it was temporary. Once she could get rid of these weird feelings, things would go back to normal, and she could laugh and have fun with Makoto again just like normal…

Except that Makoto got to her first.

“I’m sorry, Futaba. Have I done something to offend you?”

She was sitting right across from her in a booth in Leblanc. Sojiro had already closed down for the evening, and Akira was off… somewhere? Letting the two of them have some time alone. Makoto was the type who, when she saw a problem, went straight for it to try to fix it, after all. She wouldn’t just let something lie, especially when it was impacting the team, and the teammates.

“N- N- No, not at all!” Futaba squeaked, waving her hands like she was trying to dispel the thought. “I- I’m just- You know- Thinking about stuff lately!”

“Stuff?” Makoto leaned forward, concern on her face. “I don’t want to pry, but… Lately, you’ve seemed distracted, especially when I’ve been around. If I’ve done something that has ramifications for the whole team, I want to try to make things right.”

Futaba hated this. Makoto was too damn nice, so earnest and desiring to help… And Akira was no help! He was the one who had put even more weird ideas in her head! She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do! Ugh, okay, first things first! She had to figure out a way to throw Makoto off… Time to lie, Futaba!

“I- It’s just… You know, you’re like the, um… You’re the Shujin student council president, right?” It was the first thing Futaba could think of, and inwardly, she cursed her genius brain for being unable to come up with anything else.

“What? I… I am, but what does that have to do with anything?” Makoto was obviously confused… Futaba’s mind was racing, trying to come up with an answer to that herself. What did it have to do with…

“I mean… I have to pick a high school before next year starts. I should have been a first-year already, but…” The idea came out of her mouth almost before it came into her head. “So, since you’re the responsible student council president, it’s just been making me think about that!”

“Oh… Is that all?” Makoto let out a relieved sigh, and a short laugh. “What high schools have you been looking at? Maybe I can help you.”

Crap.

“It’s, well… I mean, Shujin’s closest, right?” Her mouth was running ahead of her brain again. “But I’ve been weighing other options, too! I bet I could get a scholarship from Kosei, even if I’d have to be at the same school as Inari, and that Gekkoukan is supposed to be really good, and not too far…”

“Hm, those are good choices.” Makoto brought out a pencil and paper- Did she just have those on her at all times? Of course, she was Makoto, she probably did. She started writing down the names. “Maybe it will help if you start by writing a list of pros and cons about each?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea…” Or so she said, but Futaba’s brain was starting to catch up. This was bad. She’d managed to smooth it over now, but it wouldn’t last… Okay, she just had to stall. Just plan things out. She let her hand write pros and cons on total autopilot as she tried to think of what she could tell Makoto… How she could fix this in the future? 

(She remembered the feeling, back in her own Palace, of Makoto’s arms around her. That safe comfort, that feeling of someone trying to protect her from the horrors her own mind threw at her. If she was being honest… She craved that feeling again. Those arms around her. But the way she wanted it was different…)

The answer came to her in a flash. Her key item! Obviously, Akira would know what to do! He was wise, and experienced! His CHA was off the charts! He definitely knew how to avoid making things awkward with-

“Um… Futaba?” Makoto’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “What was that you wrote for Shujin?”

“Huh? Um…” She looked down. What had she written, she hadn’t even been paying attention...

_Pros: Close by, Ann and Ryuji, safe now.  
Cons: Makoto’s not there._

“Um- Um!” Her face went beet-red. “It’s- It’s just, um, well…”

Makoto laughed again, surprising Futaba. Her voice was tinged with… relief? Embarrassment? “I’m glad to see that that’s a con, actually… I had begun to worry you didn’t want to see me at all.”

“Th- There’s no way I could ever want that!” Futaba surprised herself with the sudden shout. “You’re really amazing, after all! It’s the opposite, the opposite!”

“The… opposite?” Makoto echoed her words in surprise.

“Yeah! You’re really cool, totally badass in the Metaverse, you’re hot, you’re probably the smartest person on the team, and-!” Futaba was practically waving her arms for emphasis, when her brain finally caught up to her mouth.

Crap. This was bad. Her brain froze, and she suddenly couldn’t move. Panic welled up inside her. Had she said too much? That was weird, right? Was Makoto going to be weirded out? What should she do? Too much panic, too much information, what should she do, abort-

Pink tinged Makoto’s cheeks as she looked up at Futaba. (When had Futaba stood up, weirdly trying to stand around the table while still inside the booth? She didn’t know.) “You really… think all of that?”

Panic. Her gut twisted. Makoto hated her now. That was it. She had to run. She mumbled out some kind of excuse, she didn’t even know what she said, and started for the door-

And Makoto caught her hand, making Futaba yelp in surprise. 

“W- Wait a minute, please!” Makoto pleaded. And for some reason, Futaba’s legs turned to jelly, she couldn’t keep moving. She stopped, turned around, and looked up at Makoto. Ugh, she was so nervous… Hell, it was all she could do to not cry, but that would be even more embarrassing. But… This would probably be closure, at least. She could get rejected, and move on, right? She could-

Soft lips met hers, and Futaba’s eyes widened in alarm. There was no way- This was- Was it another hallucination? No, she knew- She could never feel the hallucinations. This was-

Futaba pulled back in alarm, and Makoto immediately looked apologetic.

“I- I’m sorry!” Makoto sounded alarmed, letting go of Futaba’s hand and holding her hands up. She knew- She understood Futaba so well, after all. She never tried to pressure her, and she knew Futaba valued her space, and never tried to push her outside of her comfort zone if Futaba wasn’t willing. Makoto made her feel safe. And to Futaba, that meant the world.

“N- No, I-” Futaba tried to respond, but the words wouldn’t come out. What should she do? She couldn’t… All she could do was reach out and take Makoto’s hand again. “I- Um- I mean… I- That’s- Could- Could you do it again…?”

“Are you sure…?” Makoto looked at her in concern. “If- If you didn’t like it…”

“I did!” She couldn’t look Makoto in the eye anymore. “I- I really- I mean, I don’t really… have any experience with this, but- But- But I like you, so!”

Makoto reached for her, cupping a hand under her chin and tilting her head up. Futaba closed her eyes, and leaned in…

Anime had prepared Futaba for her first kiss. It had prepared her in the same way watching Jaws prepared you to go swimming. And, well, this was technically her second now, wasn’t it?

For the first time, Futaba just turned off her brain and let herself lean into the kiss. It was everything she wanted, and if she wasn’t the best at it yet… She got the feeling she would be able to get a lot of practice from now on.

~*~

Prometheus had stolen fire from the gods. He was punished by being chained to a rock. His liver- His emotions- were pecked out every day. Heracles, on the Argo, freed him. And then...

And then, what?

The Phantom Thieves, like Prometheus, stole from the gods. And then, they too vanished from the stage of history. And Futaba? Futaba was at peace with that. She had gotten the justice she had been seeking. She had found friends, true companions. She had a girlfriend, an incredible girlfriend who encouraged her. And the world wasn’t so overwhelming anymore. She had seen the heart of it.

Maybe that was how Prometheus’ story had ended. He was wise. Maybe he saw that the world hadn’t needed him to guide it anymore. The Phantom Thieves quietly disbanded, and the world moved on.

Maybe there didn’t need to be an ‘and then’. Futaba could figure out ‘and then what?’ one day at a time.


End file.
